Afghanistan visit helped restore mutual trust: Pakistan PM

ABUL (Pajhwok): Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said his recent visit Afghanistan proved a milestone for the bilateral ties and regional peace as it had helped overcome the trust deficit to a great extent.

“The discussion was held in a cordial atmosphere and we hope that this visit will prove to be a milestone for Pak-Afghan relations and peace in the region,” Abbasi told a Pakistani newspaper.

He said now the leadership from both the sides would have to prove their sincerity for the prosperity of the region as well as the people with their actions.
He said during his meetings with the Afghan leadership including President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan chief Gulbadin Hekmatyar and others, it was agreed that there could be no military solution to the Afghan issue.
He said it was also agreed that peace and stability in Afghanistan was essential for Pakistan and the people of Afghanistan for what both the countries should jointly work.
He said the Afghan stakeholders must find out a solution to the issue by joining heads and Pakistan would extend its support to restore peace in the country.
He said it had also been decided to continue working on connectivity projects like roads, rail and power transmission, besides discussing water issues.

Work on the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Pipeline) project was already underway, he added.
The prime minister said both the sides had agreed to jointly work on the projects for the prosperity of people in the region and to help Central Asian states use the Gwadar Port while passing through Afghanistan.